Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to apparatus and method for efficiently operating a refrigeration appliance and, in particular, to apparatus and method that allow a user to operate a refrigeration appliance in a selected one of a plurality of operational modes.
Discussion of the Prior Art
The conditions under which a refrigeration appliance, such as a household refrigerator for example, operates can be varied. In certain circumstances, the operating conditions can be controlled through the manipulation by a user of control mechanisms provided at the refrigeration appliances. For example, a refrigeration appliance can include a cooling system that includes a compressor, a condenser, a metering device such as capillary tube and an evaporator; and the temperatures established within the refrigeration appliance, such as in the case in which the refrigeration appliance includes a freezer compartment and a fresh food compartment for example, can be influenced by the quantity of cooling air directed by the cooling system to these two compartments and the timing of the delivery of the cooling air. In turn, the quantity of cooling air generated and directed by the cooling system in the first instance to the freezer compartment and subsequently to the fresh food compartment and the timing of the delivery of the cooling air can be controlled by controlling the operation of the cooling system so that the compressor only operates when there is insufficient cold air present to support the temperature levels required in the freezer compartment and fresh food compartment. The operation of the compressor can be controlled by the manipulation by the user of a thermostat provided at the refrigeration appliance in a manner familiar to those skilled in the art.
In certain other circumstances, the operating conditions of the refrigeration appliance can be controlled by control mechanisms with respect to which the user has no influence and which function in accordance with features that are preset and fixed in the architecture of the refrigeration appliance. For example, the refrigeration appliance can include an automatic defrosting system that is programmed to operate, for example, on a specified timeline or in response to some other consideration such as the frequency of the cycling of the cooling system for example.
Typically, it is the case that users do not have a good understanding of the interrelationships of all the variables that affect the operation of a refrigeration appliance, and/or are not provided with adequate control mechanisms, in order to optimally place the refrigeration appliance in a mode of operation desired by the user.